Review the highest ranked album you are not familiar with!

Post by **Henrik** » Mon Dec 16, 2013 10:17 am

I got an idea for a new "game". The rules are simple.

1. Go through AM's all-time list and find the highest ranked album that you aren't familiar with at all.
2. Listen to the album.
3. Post your review/comments in this thread.

I look forward to hearing our reactions when we break new territory!

Moonbeam · Post by **Moonbeam** » Mon Dec 16, 2013 1:17 pm

Oh dear - mine is The White Album. 40 minute Beatles albums are already more than I can take.

I'll have a crack at this once I'm done listening to stuff for the 80s polls.

DocBrown · Post by **DocBrown** » Mon Dec 16, 2013 1:41 pm

I'm four spots deeper than Moonbeam; Public Enemy "It Takes a Nation..." 97 of the top 100 I know, except the three rap albums... that might say something.

Post by **Henrik** » Mon Dec 16, 2013 1:53 pm

It's up to everyone to make his own interpretation of "not familiar with". I'm going to go with "not familiar with a single song".

I'm not 100% sure, but I think the highest ranked album that I can't recall I have ever heard anything from is Charles Mingus "Pithecanthropus Erectus" at place 832. But I have heard several other albums by Mingus so I will probably pick Andrew Hill's "Point of Departure" at place 1012 instead.

DocBrown · Post by **DocBrown** » Mon Dec 16, 2013 4:52 pm

Henrik wrote:I'm going to go with "not familiar with a single song".

Now you tell me, after I've already given #18 one listen. Which wasn't bad, by the way. Much better than the next album down my list, IMO.

Nassim · Post by **Nassim** » Mon Dec 16, 2013 5:07 pm

DocBrown wrote:I'm four spots deeper than Moonbeam; Public Enemy "It Takes a Nation..." 97 of the top 100 I know, except the three rap albums... that might say something.

Do you consider DJ Shadow a rap album ? Because otherwise I only see De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising !

There are only 2 albums in the top 200 I don't feel familiar with, ithe highest one is James Brown live at the Apollo ! So I guess this will be the album for me, though there are about 20 others I have never listened from front to end (half of them because I gave up half way)

DocBrown · Post by **DocBrown** » Mon Dec 16, 2013 5:52 pm

Nassim wrote:Do you consider DJ Shadow a rap album ? Because otherwise I only see De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising !

Sorry, I assumed it was (mostly because I've never heard of it). I see it's actually got six genres listed at RYM, none of them Rap. I will give it a shot.

Jirin · Post by **Jirin** » Mon Dec 16, 2013 9:23 pm

To find an album I haven't heard a single song by I'd have to go down to #219 From Elvis In Memphis.

Or rather, I have no idea what's on it, it probably contains songs I know about but performances I haven't heard. Does that count?

After that, #246 Frank Sinatra - Songs For Swingin Lovers

Notice mine are all people who were most popular before 1965.

JimmyJazz · Post by **JimmyJazz** » Mon Dec 16, 2013 9:53 pm

Jirin wrote:To find an album I haven't heard a single song by I'd have to go down to #219 From Elvis In Memphis.

Or rather, I have no idea what's on it, it probably contains songs I know about but performances I haven't heard. Does that count?

After that, #246 Frank Sinatra - Songs For Swingin Lovers

Notice mine are all people who were most popular before 1965.

The 50s Sinatra albums are exceptional, IMO. Somewhat pioneering in their template of similarly themed songs, which most of the best albums would follow, sometimes taking it further with "concept" albums. I've always considered Elvis to be a great singles act but not really an albums act, like all of the 50s rock n rollers, but I would give it a shot as well.

DDD troll account · Post by **DDD troll account** » Mon Dec 16, 2013 10:45 pm

Luckily my two highest missing albums ("The Harder They Come" and "Hot Rats") are already lying on my shelf waiting for me so I'll try to post some thoughts once I've gotten around to them.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Mon Dec 16, 2013 11:00 pm

The highest ranking album I have not heard is number 341- "Sail Away" by Randy Newman. I've never heard a full album by Newman before, and I'm only familiar with a couple of his songs, so this should be interesting. I'll report back my feelings about the album later tonight.

Listyguy · Post by **Listyguy** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 12:03 am

After I finish listening to the 80's albums, I'll have to do this. It appears that would be "The Suburbs".

Moonbeam · Post by **Moonbeam** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 1:04 am

Listyguy wrote:After I finish listening to the 80's albums, I'll have to do this. It appears that would be "The Suburbs".

Oh dear. You're better served listening to one song from The Suburbs and then going to the next album that qualifies.

DaveC · Post by **DaveC** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 1:09 am

Golly gosh. As far as I can recall I haven't heard any tracks from Astral Weeks. I'll get around to it after ranking 1980 songs/albums & 2013 Moderately Acclaimed.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 1:29 am

Moonbeam wrote:
Listyguy wrote:After I finish listening to the 80's albums, I'll have to do this. It appears that would be "The Suburbs".
Oh dear. You're better served listening to one song from The Suburbs and then going to the next album that qualifies.

BREAKING NEWS: MOONBEAM DOESN'T CARE FOR "THE SUBURBS"!

Of course I jest. But given your well known dislike of the album, I'm curious to how you feel about their dancier Bowie, Byrne, and Murphy influenced followup.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 2:22 am

First impressions to #341 "Sail Away" by Randy Newman

Just after one listen I've decided that "Sail Away" is pretty great overall. It's pretty hard to believe that I haven't listened to one of his albums before, as "Sail Away" is lyrically one of the best albums I have heard in a very long time. Newman loves music-lyric dissonance, oftentimes putting some of his happiest, most uplifting music to some of his darkest lyrics (like on the title track, which is a slave-trader's pitch of America to prospective slaves, or "He Gives Us All His Love", a song that superficially seems to be praising God, but really portrays him as an uncaring figure [an interpretation made ironic by the fact that the song has been covered by several born again Christian artists]).

Throughout the album, the songs tend to jump around a bit stylistically. Some of the songs resemble jaunty showtunes (no surprise that Newman intended the song "Lonely at the Top" for none other than Frank Sinatra), others take bits and pieces from glam rock of all places (just tell me the driving guitars on "Last Night I Had a Dream" don't recall early '70's glam rock), while others are slow, mournful tunes drenched in strings (the sorrowful "Old Man" and the scathing "God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind)" come to mind). But all of the disparate elements that Newman brings to the table on "Sail Away" mesh incredibly well, and instead of being a sloppy mess, the sentimental balladry and cynical showtunes end up sitting comfortably side by side, perhaps meant to be seen as mirror images, the dark balancing the light, and so forth.

"Sail Away" is over and done with in a couple seconds over half an hour, but the album is in possession of more quotable lyrics than most artists seem to have in their whole careers. For some, the dissonance between what Newman is playing and what he is saying, and what he is saying and what he means for the matter, may be a turn off. But if you can open up to the cynical kind of humor that is Newman's purview, the humor that functions just as well when talking about the introspective themes on this album as well as the big world themes of politics, slavery, and religion found on this album, then "Sail Away" will be a success for you.

Zorg · Post by **Zorg** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 2:49 am

U2's The Joshua Tree. I applaud myself for not listening to it up until now. There's something about it which is so...stale. It's just quite boring.

Can someone who is a fan point me in the right direction?

DocBrown · Post by **DocBrown** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 4:07 am

A brief review of #18; Public Enemy's "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back".

I actually don't dislike rap; I love the beats, the wordplay, the humour and the continual inventiveness of the greatest rap wordsmiths, like Chuck D. I also like the deconstruction of other musical forms through sampling, and finding those hidden gems. I listen to rap very little because of;

- the n-word; while it may have shock value, or may be useful as a metaphor ("woman is the...") I can not abide it as salutation, epithet or class descriptor.

- the misogyny; I feel the same way about the b-word and the w-word as applied to women in particular or general. (I will never make it through any Kanye or Eminem album.)

- the celebration of violence and the gun culture.

- the anger.

I was pleasantly surprised by "It Takes a Nation..." The image I had of Public Enemy was that they were part of the gangster rap culture. In fact this album parodies that culture ("I didn't bring the gun. I don't have a license to carry one..."), attacks the ravages of drugs, and in the one song dealing with women ("She Watches Channel Zero?!") while Flavour Flav is condescending in tone, the song is clearly attacking pop culture generally. There are a huge number of pop culture references sprinkled through the rhymes, and I'm sure repeated listens would be rewarding in decoding more of these.

There is anger here, particularly in "Black Steel...", but Chuck D's thoughtful and articulate rhyming, his general good humour and his optimism and occasional outright joyousness (as in opener "Bring the Noise", the only track I knew in advance of today's listens) ameliorate the tone of the words.

Also missing were the annoying skits and extended intros (the self-referential shout outs) that mar too many rap albums. The only shoutouts I heard where to Louis Farrakhan (who puts in a sampled appearance) and other Black Muslim leaders.

I wish the band's logo did not include what appears to be a NYPD officer's profile in a gunsight, or that the album art didn't play up the band's criminal cred. It is unnecessary and doesn't reflect what the album is about. Chuck D is an amazing poet, and his voice is strong and melodic. Flavor Flav is just annoying, but I think his clownishness may be a part of the rap vernacular. In fact, while I'm not a rap fan, and don't speak this particular musical language, it's easy to see how this album is so highly acclaimed, and probably serves as a template for much of what followed.
I'm not a convert, but I can certainly see what I'm missing.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 4:15 am

DocBrown wrote:
- the n-word; while it may have shock value, or may be useful as a metaphor ("woman is the...") I can not abide it as salutation, epithet or class descriptor.

- the misogyny; I feel the same way about the b-word and the w-word as applied to women in particular or general. (I will never make it through any Kanye or Eminem album.)

- the celebration of violence and the gun culture.

- the anger.

Not to slight your tastes or anything, but the fact that this is what you believe the majority of hip-hop to sound like kind of just shows a very high level of ignorance of the genre. I mean, if you just don't like hip-hop, that's okay, but you should know that the elements you described only really reflect a certain subgenre (gangsta rap) of hip-hop and not the whole thing.

DocBrown · Post by **DocBrown** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 4:23 am

Nick wrote: Not to slight your tastes or anything, but the fact that this is what you believe the majority of hip-hop to sound like kind of just shows a very high level of ignorance of the genre. I mean, if you just don't like hip-hop, that's okay, but you should know that the elements you described only really reflect a certain subgenre (gangsta rap) of hip-hop and not the whole thing.

Fair comment, and I don't mean to reference hip-hop in general (I exclusively used the term rap, and I probably should have been more explicit yet). I do listen to European hip-hop, to trip-hop, to conscious hip-hop, but I'm very reluctant to explore anything described as gangster, east coast, dirty south or old-school because most of it offends my tender sensibilities; and I'm sure there's lots of great stuff I'm missing out on.

Basically life is too short to explore genres where I've been disappointed in the past, when I barely keep up with the new releases in genres I love.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 4:33 am

DocBrown wrote:
Nick wrote: Not to slight your tastes or anything, but the fact that this is what you believe the majority of hip-hop to sound like kind of just shows a very high level of ignorance of the genre. I mean, if you just don't like hip-hop, that's okay, but you should know that the elements you described only really reflect a certain subgenre (gangsta rap) of hip-hop and not the whole thing.
Fair comment, and I don't mean to reference hip-hop in general (I exclusively used the term rap, and I probably should have been more explicit yet). I do listen to European hip-hop, to trip-hop, to conscious hip-hop, but I'm very reluctant to explore anything described as gangster, east coast, dirty south or old-school because most of it offends my tender sensibilities; and I'm sure there's lots of great stuff I'm missing out on.

Basically life is too short to explore genres where I've been disappointed in the past, when I barely keep up with the new releases in genres I love.

Ah okay, well that's a bit more understandable then. I just wanted to ensure that you didn't get the wrong impression of the genre, because although it is a genre with a lot to offer, a lot of people are scared away from it due to the belief that the aspects you noted above are the only aspects of it.

JimmyJazz · Post by **JimmyJazz** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 4:43 am

Nick wrote:
DocBrown wrote:
- the n-word; while it may have shock value, or may be useful as a metaphor ("woman is the...") I can not abide it as salutation, epithet or class descriptor.

- the misogyny; I feel the same way about the b-word and the w-word as applied to women in particular or general. (I will never make it through any Kanye or Eminem album.)

- the celebration of violence and the gun culture.

- the anger.

Not to slight your tastes or anything, but the fact that this is what you believe the majority of hip-hop to sound like kind of just shows a very high level of ignorance of the genre. I mean, if you just don't like hip-hop, that's okay, but you should know that the elements you described only really reflect a certain subgenre (gangsta rap) of hip-hop and not the whole thing.

I can see what both you and Doc are saying about the Hip-Hop genre. I will confess that, much as I love so many things about this genre in music, the lyrical and image elements that usually accompany the music can be seriously off-putting. I'm not so sure Doc is talking specifically about gangsta rap, either, Nick, as he mentions both Kanye and Eminem, both of whom I don't necessarily consider "gangsta", per se. I'm a big fan of Eminem (and not of Kanye, although my overall thoughts on him are explained in the EOY albums thread), but even I can admit that these men throw in some pretty gratuitous stuff into their lyrics. Admittedly, Eminem (and to a slightly lesser extent, Kanye, although sometimes his interviews make me doubtful) are usually being sarcastic and are utilizing dark humor, but to some people their topics of choice go way too far. For me, in the realm of cinema, this is exactly why I greatly admire Quentin Tarantino's films, but do not necessarily love them, although his first three films I do believe are masterpieces. There is something about the glorification of violence and guns, the weird hipsterization of racism and racist terminology, the portrayals of women (morally dubious at best, extraordinarily mysogonistic at worst) that can be quite off-putting. But, once again, this is just my own opinion, and nothing more. I do not judge people who don't like the genre as much as I do, but instead hope that they open their mind from time to time and appreciate the musical genius of the best hip-hop albums, even in spite of the often offensive lyrics and message.

Moonbeam · Post by **Moonbeam** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 5:17 am

Nick wrote:
Moonbeam wrote:
Listyguy wrote:After I finish listening to the 80's albums, I'll have to do this. It appears that would be "The Suburbs".
Oh dear. You're better served listening to one song from The Suburbs and then going to the next album that qualifies.
BREAKING NEWS: MOONBEAM DOESN'T CARE FOR "THE SUBURBS"!

Of course I jest. But given your well known dislike of the album, I'm curious to how you feel about their dancier Bowie, Byrne, and Murphy influenced followup.

I've been too terrified to listen.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 5:35 am

Moonbeam wrote:
I've been too terrified to listen.

You should totally give it a listen anyway. And I'm not just saying that because it's my own personal album of the year and I want to plug it.

But seriously, I think you'd like it considering James Murphy produced it, Bowie did backing vocals on a song, and the critics keep comparing it to LCD Soundsystem, Talking Heads, and Bowie's own solo work.

But then again, you may hate it so who knows?

Henry · Post by **Henry** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 6:39 am

Just listened to The Stooges "Fun House" for the first time and thought that it was worth the effort. My favorite tracks were DIrt, Loose and Fun House.

Moonbeam · Post by **Moonbeam** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 9:18 am

Nick wrote:
Moonbeam wrote:
I've been too terrified to listen.
You should totally give it a listen anyway. And I'm not just saying that because it's my own personal album of the year and I want to plug it.

But seriously, I think you'd like it considering James Murphy produced it, Bowie did backing vocals on a song, and the critics keep comparing it to LCD Soundsystem, Talking Heads, and Bowie's own solo work.

But then again, you may hate it so who knows?

You've convinced me - I didn't know James Murphy produced it! I'll give it a spin when it comes time for the year-end polls! Thanks for the rec.

Sweepstakes Ron · Post by **Sweepstakes Ron** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 11:55 pm

My highest ranked unfamiliar album is - oh gee, its Pet Sounds.

digifuwill · Post by **digifuwill** » Wed Dec 18, 2013 4:08 pm

Nick wrote:First impressions to #341 "Sail Away" by Randy Newman

Just after one listen I've decided that "Sail Away" is pretty great overall. It's pretty hard to believe that I haven't listened to one of his albums before, as "Sail Away" is lyrically one of the best albums I have heard in a very long time. Newman loves music-lyric dissonance, oftentimes putting some of his happiest, most uplifting music to some of his darkest lyrics (like on the title track, which is a slave-trader's pitch of America to prospective slaves, or "He Gives Us All His Love", a song that superficially seems to be praising God, but really portrays him as an uncaring figure [an interpretation made ironic by the fact that the song has been covered by several born again Christian artists]).

Throughout the album, the songs tend to jump around a bit stylistically. Some of the songs resemble jaunty showtunes (no surprise that Newman intended the song "Lonely at the Top" for none other than Frank Sinatra), others take bits and pieces from glam rock of all places (just tell me the driving guitars on "Last Night I Had a Dream" don't recall early '70's glam rock), while others are slow, mournful tunes drenched in strings (the sorrowful "Old Man" and the scathing "God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind)" come to mind). But all of the disparate elements that Newman brings to the table on "Sail Away" mesh incredibly well, and instead of being a sloppy mess, the sentimental balladry and cynical showtunes end up sitting comfortably side by side, perhaps meant to be seen as mirror images, the dark balancing the light, and so forth.

"Sail Away" is over and done with in a couple seconds over half an hour, but the album is in possession of more quotable lyrics than most artists seem to have in their whole careers. For some, the dissonance between what Newman is playing and what he is saying, and what he is saying and what he means for the matter, may be a turn off. But if you can open up to the cynical kind of humor that is Newman's purview, the humor that functions just as well when talking about the introspective themes on this album as well as the big world themes of politics, slavery, and religion found on this album, then "Sail Away" will be a success for you.

This is easily the best review of Sail Away that I've ever had the pleasure to read.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 1:20 am

digifuwill wrote:
Nick wrote:First impressions to #341 "Sail Away" by Randy Newman

Just after one listen I've decided that "Sail Away" is pretty great overall. It's pretty hard to believe that I haven't listened to one of his albums before, as "Sail Away" is lyrically one of the best albums I have heard in a very long time. Newman loves music-lyric dissonance, oftentimes putting some of his happiest, most uplifting music to some of his darkest lyrics (like on the title track, which is a slave-trader's pitch of America to prospective slaves, or "He Gives Us All His Love", a song that superficially seems to be praising God, but really portrays him as an uncaring figure [an interpretation made ironic by the fact that the song has been covered by several born again Christian artists]).

Throughout the album, the songs tend to jump around a bit stylistically. Some of the songs resemble jaunty showtunes (no surprise that Newman intended the song "Lonely at the Top" for none other than Frank Sinatra), others take bits and pieces from glam rock of all places (just tell me the driving guitars on "Last Night I Had a Dream" don't recall early '70's glam rock), while others are slow, mournful tunes drenched in strings (the sorrowful "Old Man" and the scathing "God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind)" come to mind). But all of the disparate elements that Newman brings to the table on "Sail Away" mesh incredibly well, and instead of being a sloppy mess, the sentimental balladry and cynical showtunes end up sitting comfortably side by side, perhaps meant to be seen as mirror images, the dark balancing the light, and so forth.

"Sail Away" is over and done with in a couple seconds over half an hour, but the album is in possession of more quotable lyrics than most artists seem to have in their whole careers. For some, the dissonance between what Newman is playing and what he is saying, and what he is saying and what he means for the matter, may be a turn off. But if you can open up to the cynical kind of humor that is Newman's purview, the humor that functions just as well when talking about the introspective themes on this album as well as the big world themes of politics, slavery, and religion found on this album, then "Sail Away" will be a success for you.
This is easily the best review of Sail Away that I've ever had the pleasure to read.

Thank you! Now imagine how much better it would be had I listened to the album more than once

JimmyJazz · Post by **JimmyJazz** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 1:27 am

I would also like to compliment you, Nick, for your awesome reviews, not just of Sail Away, but also of Reflektor recently and that White Album review you posted awhile ago. Have you ever considered starting your own music criticism blog, because your album reviews are some of the best that I have ever read.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 2:27 am

JimmyJazz wrote:I would also like to compliment you, Nick, for your awesome reviews, not just of Sail Away, but also of Reflektor recently and that White Album review you posted awhile ago. Have you ever considered starting your own music criticism blog, because your album reviews are some of the best that I have ever read.

Thank you very much! I haven't ever really considered starting my own music criticism blog, although it would be interesting. As of now I'm just someone who really enjoys writing and really enjoys listening to music, so naturally I tend to write about music from time to time. I would like to get some of my other writings published sometime though...

JimmyJazz · Post by **JimmyJazz** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 6:20 am

Nick wrote:
JimmyJazz wrote:I would also like to compliment you, Nick, for your awesome reviews, not just of Sail Away, but also of Reflektor recently and that White Album review you posted awhile ago. Have you ever considered starting your own music criticism blog, because your album reviews are some of the best that I have ever read.
Thank you very much! I haven't ever really considered starting my own music criticism blog, although it would be interesting. As of now I'm just someone who really enjoys writing and really enjoys listening to music, so naturally I tend to write about music from time to time. I would like to get some of my other writings published sometime though...

If you did start a blog, I would definitely be one of your first subscribers!

Bruce · Post by **Bruce** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 6:41 am

I am SURE you guys don't want me to do this, considering that it would be the #3 album, the one by Nirvana.

Bruno · Post by **Bruno** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 11:05 am

Bruce wrote:I am SURE you guys don't want me to do this, considering that it would be the #3 album, the one by Nirvana.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 11:36 am

Bruce wrote:I am SURE you guys don't want me to do this, considering that it would be the #3 album, the one by Nirvana.

I personally would be interested.

DDD troll account · Post by **DDD troll account** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 12:25 pm

Yeah, me too.

Bruno · Post by **Bruno** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 2:30 pm

C'mon, Bruce!

Kingoftonga · Post by **Kingoftonga** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 2:48 pm

These are fun; I hope to see more of them. My album would be The Specials (#182), which I'll try to listen to over the holiday and post my review.

Bruce · Post by **Bruce** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 3:15 pm

Bruno wrote:C'mon, Bruce!

I already know that I can't stand "Smell Like Teen Spirit."

Bruce · Post by **Bruce** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 5:12 pm

Okay, by popular demand here is my review of "Nevermind." I'm gonna listen to the entire
album and give my honest appraisal.

First, my rating scale for songs:

10 - Incredibly Awesome
9 - Great
8 - Excellent
7 - Very Good
6 - Good
5 - Pretty Good
4 - Okay
3 - Not Very Good
2 - Bad
1 - Terrible
0 - Unbelievably Horrible

Here we go:

1."Smells Like Teen Spirit" (Cobain, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic) – 5:01

Maybe I've only heard a remix or a single edit of this in the past because the one on the album
sounds more like a 1970s hard rock track to me. Nothing I'd want to listen to much, but it's not
too bad, I'd give it a 5. The part where he keeps saying "hello, hello" keeps it from being any
better than that. Maybe that's the only part that I've ever really heard before.

2."In Bloom" – 4:14

Another hard rock sounding guitar intro. A pretty dull and boring structure to this one, almost
intentionally depressing. Hard for me to sit through. I will say that "grunge" is very aptly
named. I give it a 3.

3."Come as You Are" – 3:39

Okay, a more mellow intro to this one. Sounds more like the 1980s, similar to the Police, who I
really don't like at all. Every song seems to have a stretch where they repeat the same words
several times in a row. Not something that I usually like in records. The guitar break is weird,
almost intentionally psychotic. This one gets a 4.

4."Breed" – 3:03

Okay, back to 1970s hard rock, but much more uptempo this time. He just repeated some
word about 10 times, and them repeated some other word like 8 times. Very annoying. The
guitar riff is pretty good, but all these repeated vocals are pissing me off. This one is giving me
a headache. It gets a 2.

5."Lithium" – 4:17

Okay, this is starting out with a little promise....uh, oh, it just clicked in with the loud guitars
and the "yeah, yeah, yeah" being repeated about 6 times. How many times is he gonna say
"I'm not gonna crack" or whatever he is saying? Mercifully it just ended. RATING - 3

6."Polly" – 2:57

An acoustic intro. This sounds different from what I've heard so far. More like the softer
acoustic Zeppelin stuff. Pretty good two part harmony. Fairly innocuous. RATING - 4

7."Territorial Pissings" – 2:22

Bad start mocking one of my favorite records of 1967 (Get Together - Youngbloods). This one
sounds like late 1970s punk rock. This guy singing never met a note that he couldn't screach.
Sounds like an ameteur punk band practicing in a basement - RATING - 2

8."Drain You" – 3:43

Sounds like the Raspberries without the great vocals. This one is certainly draining ME.
RATING - 2

9."Lounge Act" – 2:36

Even if I cared about lyrics, which I don't, nobody could make them out anyway. Bad Rod
Stewart imitation on lead vocal. Run of the mill hard rock album filler - RATING - 3

10."Stay Away" – 3:32

Starting out with some energy here. More loud noise though with another monotonous
repetitive chorus. The worst song yet - RATING - 1

11."On a Plain" – 3:16

Distortion to start. Okay, melody isn't bad. Still an overall depressing ambience. RATING - 3

12."Something in the Way" – 3:52

Okay, here's their PROG song. Very different from the rest of the album, although they still
keep repeating the same words (Something in the Way) over and over. A welcome relief from
the obnoxious noise I've heard for the past half hour. That alone makes it one of the highlights
of the album - RATING - 4

"Endless, Nameless" (Cobain, Grohl, Novoselic) – 6:44 (hidden track)

I REALLY wish I had listened to the actual album on vinyl and had never discovered this
"hidden track." Not only is it revolting but it's twice as long as most other tracks on the album.
Bad Hendrix imitation, and I don't even like Hendrix much in the first place, especially not the
stuff that sounded like this. RATING - 0

OVERALL IMPRESSION - I hate to say this, but I am starting to see maybe why Cobain did
himself in. Playing these songs every night for years would make anybody very depressed.
When I started this I would never have thought that "Smells Like Teen Spirit" would be the best
song on the album. At least it's finally over.

PS - The cover is also offensive.

JimmyJazz · Post by **JimmyJazz** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 5:27 pm

And no act from the 1950s repeated the same lyrics, or used the exact same sound or melody in every one of their songs... Riiiiiigggghhhhtttt.

Yeah, yeah, yeah...

Real classy statement about Mr. Cobain, too, I must say.

Finally, that part about intentional sound or lyrics or singing, maybe it was, like, intentional? But, hey, that's just me. I don't know anything, and you know everything.

And, I know I said I wasn't going to respond to you anymore, but, that "review" you posted was too hilarious for me not to comment on

Btw, did you have to go through every single song, rather than simply create a paragraph or two illustrating your thoughts about the album? Because, it's both really obnoxious to create long ass posts like that, and you basically repeat the exact same statements about the band over and over. It's kinda boring and repetitive. Wait... repetitive? That's exactly how you described the album.

Bruce · Post by **Bruce** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 5:48 pm

JimmyJazz wrote:Btw, did you have to go through every single song, rather than simply create a paragraph or two illustrating your thoughts about the album? Because, it's both really obnoxious to create long ass posts like that, and you basically repeat the exact same statements about the band over and over. It's kinda boring and repetitive. Wait... repetitive? That's exactly how you described the album.

I never claimed to be a good writer.

JimmyJazz · Post by **JimmyJazz** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 5:50 pm

Bruce wrote:
JimmyJazz wrote:Btw, did you have to go through every single song, rather than simply create a paragraph or two illustrating your thoughts about the album? Because, it's both really obnoxious to create long ass posts like that, and you basically repeat the exact same statements about the band over and over. It's kinda boring and repetitive. Wait... repetitive? That's exactly how you described the album.
I never claimed to be a good writer.

Kinda hard to criticize somebody's songwriting style in that case.

Bruce · Post by **Bruce** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 5:52 pm

JimmyJazz wrote:
Bruce wrote:
JimmyJazz wrote:Btw, did you have to go through every single song, rather than simply create a paragraph or two illustrating your thoughts about the album? Because, it's both really obnoxious to create long ass posts like that, and you basically repeat the exact same statements about the band over and over. It's kinda boring and repetitive. Wait... repetitive? That's exactly how you described the album.
I never claimed to be a good writer.
Kinda hard to criticize somebody's songwriting style in that case.

When did I do that?

I only commented on what I heard. I never said a word about songwriting.

Bruce · Post by **Bruce** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 5:54 pm

JimmyJazz wrote:
Bruce wrote:
JimmyJazz wrote:Btw, did you have to go through every single song, rather than simply create a paragraph or two illustrating your thoughts about the album? Because, it's both really obnoxious to create long ass posts like that, and you basically repeat the exact same statements about the band over and over. It's kinda boring and repetitive. Wait... repetitive? That's exactly how you described the album.
I never claimed to be a good writer.
Kinda hard to criticize somebody's songwriting style in that case.

well, I am a registered songwriter at BMI.

http://repertoire.bmi.com/TitleSearch.a ... tles=False

JimmyJazz · Post by **JimmyJazz** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 6:09 pm

Criticizing somebody repeating certain lyrics over and over is essentially criticizing their songwriting, the way they conceived the structure of their song. I seriously doubt you would criticize Aretha Franklin for saying "chain-chain-chain" over and over or James Brown for saying that he's "a sex machine" a bazillion times over. Of course, Kurt Cobain was just a "skinny white dude with a guitar", so when he does the exact same thing, he has committed a great musical sin. I love all three of the acts I have discussed in this post, so I am willing to forgive them for their presumably simplistic songwriting (and I'm fully aware that Franklin and Brown didn't officially wrote their own songs, but they still had major input into how they would perform it and what lyrics they would or would not sing. They were coming out of what was a more restrictive time period). Particularly when that's the intention of a chorus.

I'm going away for a couple of days on a holiday vacation, so this is the last post you'll be getting from me. I've provided my honest response to the main points that I disagree with in your review. I apologize if it comes off as being rude, but you yourself don't exactly welcome people with open arms around here, particularly when they are simply voicing a different opinion about a band or act you hate and they happen to love.

Bruce · Post by **Bruce** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 6:24 pm

JimmyJazz wrote:Criticizing somebody repeating certain lyrics over and over is essentially criticizing their songwriting, the way they conceived the structure of their song. I seriously doubt you would criticize Aretha Franklin for saying "chain-chain-chain" over and over or James Brown for saying that he's "a sex machine" a bazillion times over.

James Brown never says the words "Sex Machine" twice in a row in that entire 10 minute song. And Aretha Franklin did not write "Chain of Fools."

JimmyJazz wrote: Of course, Kurt Cobain was just a "skinny white dude with a guitar", so when he does the exact same thing, he has committed a great musical sin.

If you can find just one post where I ever called anyone a "skinny white dude" I will leave this forum for good.

JimmyJazz wrote: I love all three of the acts I have discussed in this post, so I am willing to forgive them for their presumably simplistic songwriting (and I'm fully aware that Franklin and Brown didn't officially wrote their own songs,

James Brown wrote most all of his own songs. Aretha wrote some of hers.

Post by **Henrik** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 6:59 pm

Bruce, I don't think your review was that offensive. I saw it as an honest personal opinion on something that apparently wasn't for you. Most people I know that have no interest in alternative rock (the people I'm thinking of usually aren't into rock music at all) would probably express similar feelings.

Bruce · Post by **Bruce** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 8:08 pm

Henrik wrote:Bruce, I don't think your review was that offensive. I saw it as an honest personal opinion on something that apparently wasn't for you. Most people I know that have no interest in alternative rock (the people I'm thinking of usually aren't into rock music at all) would probably express similar feelings.

Thanks, I just think Jimmy has a hard on for me.

Live in Phoenix · Post by **Live in Phoenix** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 8:17 pm

I've got Channel Orange. Not saying it's right, but I'm crap at following newer music. (62 minutes too!) But I'll put it on my schedule.